So while the Indiana native certainly won’t have youth on his side when he faces veteran slugger Tim Boetsch (11-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at August’s UFC 117 event, Brown said he’ll have something even better to rely on: a proven track record of hard work.

“In this case, my age is probably a good thing,” Brown told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve been fighting for a long time.”

Adding to Brown’s chances of warding off the dreaded “octagon jitters” that often cripple UFC rookies, Brown cornered his training partner, Steve Lopez, at this past year’s UFC 103 event.

“I train hard, and I know that the day of (the fight), I’m going to be a little bit, ‘Ooh, this is the big show,'” Brown admitted. “I was like that when I was in Stevie Lopez’s corner. ‘Wow, this is awesome.’

“I’ve kind of walked through it in the corner situation. Now I’ll be doing it as a fighter, and quite frankly, one we hit each other, it’s just a fight. Everything else kind of disappears.”

Brown’s lone career mixed martial arts loss was to one-time UFC veteran Josh Hendricks in 2007. The 5-foot-11 Brown was competing as a heavyweight at the time, but the experience encouraged him to make the switch to 205 pounds.

“[Hendricks] laid on me for three rounds, and I couldn’t get that monster butt off me, so I dropped to 205 (pounds),” Brown said.

Since that time, Brown has earned seven-straight wins while toiling away on the local circuit. Now he’ll finally get his chance at the big show, and Brown makes no attempt to hide his appreciation for the man he says made it happen.

“It’s just kind of how the ball bounces in the Midwest,” Brown said. “We’re from a small town. We’re not really connected. Ken Pavia has done a good job getting Stevie Lopez in and now myself, and I’ve got two other guys that are real quality guys. It’s just when you’re in the Midwest, it’s hard to pop that bubble and get in the game.

“I went to some shows, and I fought some guys that I thought would get me some notoriety. None of that really matters unless you’ve got somebody in the trenches working for you to get you that shot. For sure, you need to have representation and somebody out there fighting that fight for you.”

Brown earned his shot when Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva was forced to bow out of the fight. And while Brown has less than two weeks to prepare for the contest, he says expectations should not be lowered.

“I know I can hit the weight,” Brown said. “That’s not a problem. I’m in the gym all the time.

“Have I had a proper training camp? No, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to go in and fight my ass off and come out on top. That’s the plan.”

As with many other UFC competitors, Brown is elated for his shot at the big time. While the late notice is certainly less-than-ideal, he believes Boetsch will be faced with some uncertainty as well.

“When you are fighting in these smaller shows, a lot of times you show up and your guy doesn’t show or some other guy has to take his place,” Brown said. “In this game, we’re kind of bred to just fight whoever is in front of us, so I don’t see that it would bother him very much. In his mind he’s got a guy who was contending for the world championship at one point, and now he’s got me? Maybe he breathes a sigh of relief; I don’t know.

“On the other hand, it’s the unknown. He’s got to worry about what am I doing. He doesn’t know anything about me.”

Truth be told, neither do most MMA fans, but Brown said he’s going to hold a little back until fight night.

“Not to give too much up, but basically I think my strength is standing,” Brown said. “I love to Thai box. I love to be inside and do work. I’m not much of a runner, and from what I know about him, he’s not either. I’m pretty sure we’re going to butt heads in the middle and see what happens.

“My submissions basically come from if we hit the floor, then I use my jits and I punch him a lot. If they give me their neck, I take it.”

Of course, making it to the show is just part of the goal. Sticking around is what’s important, and at 38 years old, the chances of Brown making a second run are slim. Therefore, if he ever hopes to make an impact in the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion, the time is now.

“I think we’re in a situation here – and there’s guys like me across the country that train hard and they have good records, and they’re good guys, good fighters, and they just have to wait for that opportunity,” Brown said. “If you tell me, ‘Hey, you can fight in two days,’ for an organization like the UFC, that’s what I’m going to do.

“Bottom line is me and him are going to fight, and somebody’s hand is going to get raised at the end, and that’s the guy that’s best on that day. I hope that’s me.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

TORONTO – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s early and official UFC 206 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT). Join us for a live video stream and official results.

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.